


Five Times The Aquabats Tried to Impress Katie

by dontoverthinkthis



Category: The Aquabats! Super Show!
Genre: 5+1 Things, And Sometimes It's The Aquabats and Their Assistant, Bet They'd Be Mighty Tasty Though, F/M, Family Can Be Anything, Found Family, Friendship, Love, Not Like Actual Eating the Aquabats, Slice of Aquabat Life, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:47:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24577042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontoverthinkthis/pseuds/dontoverthinkthis
Summary: And the one time they didn't need to.
Relationships: EagleBones Falconhawk/Kaitlin "Katie" Crush, EagleBones Falconhawk/Original Female Characters
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2
Collections: Katie and The Aquabats





	1. The Great Cake Monster of Colorado

**Author's Note:**

> Reuploaded series of the Aquabats trying to impress their assistant.

“Here you go, Commander, one fresh BLT,” Katie smiles kindly as she puts a plate with a delicious-looking sandwich on the table. “And here’s some freshly squeezed lemonade to wash it down.” She puts a crystal-clear glass of lemonade next to the plate next to the eager MC Bat Commander, rubbing his hands delightedly.

“Thank you, Katie,” he thanks her. He grabs the sandwich and takes a big bite. “Mmmhmm, you are an artist of the sandwich, Kaitlin! This is the best BLT I have ever had the pleasure of having in my mouth.” He swallows. “And now, in my stomach.”

Katie grins happily. “I’m really glad you like it!” She turns her back to clean the kitchen space as the Commander wolfs down his lunch she made for him. He looks at Katie as she cleans up. Her dark brown (her hair is dark brown, the Commander insists) hair is tied up in a bun to prevent hair from getting in food, and she’s wearing simple clothing today-a yellow t-shirt, some blue jeans and black flats. 

She always looks very nice, and she’s quite pretty. The Commander isn’t interested in her like THAT. She’s like the daughter he never had. He’s her MENTOR of AWESOME for crying out loud. He can appreciate beauty. Like Katie, whose beauty is in and out. (Her organs are probably very healthily-colored, the Commander thinks. Her blood is robust and her brain is JUICY, he knows because she’s so smart. If a zombie apocalypse hit, zombies would go straight for Katie. Not that the Aquabats would let that happen, anyway.) 

Katie is an amazing person. She loves them, and they love her. The Commander smiles at their assistant, his protege of Almost Awesome. She’ll get there with enough training. 

“Oh, okay,” Katie’s voice breaks them out of his thoughts of her. “I know why you’re smiling at me.” She goes to the fridge and pulls out a chocolate bundt cake, topped with white glaze and chocolate shavings. The Commander’s mouth waters at the sight of it. “I was going to save this for after dinner tonight, but I guess you foiled my master plan.” She laughs as she cuts a slice and serves it to the Commander, who stares up at her with amazed eyes. He eagerly digs in and moans at the deliciousness. 

‘She’s amazing,’ he thinks as he watches her dance around, humming ‘Burger Rain’. ‘I need to show her I’m amazing too!’ He sticks another forkful of cake into his mouth, thinking of how to impress Katie, but she’s been with them since they started crime-fighting, so she knew all of their adventures. Plus, she’s at all their concerts, so she knows that too. He gets an idea. He’ll just make up a story! “Say Katie, this cake reminds me of something,” he says.

“Oh? What does it remind you of?” Katie asks, sweeping the floor. 

“It reminds me of the Great Cake Monster of Colorado!” The Commander booms theatrically, leaping out of his seat, holding his half-eaten cake in the air.

Katie smiles at him, eyebrow raised. “‘Great Cake Monster of Colorado’?” She repeats, raising up a hand to stifle a giggle. “I don’t remember a monster like that, Commander.” 

“Oh, this was before your time, young Kaitlin,” the Commander says with a serious effect to his voice. He yanks out a chair and offers a hand to her. “Take a seat, for I shall tell you of this daring endeavour!” Katie takes his hand and allows him to sit her down. “It was long ago, when I was but a youngster,” he begins, taking a bite of his cake and swallowing it, for EFFECT as Katie crossed her ankles, listening intently.

“My school took a field trip to Colorado. And you know what Colorado is famous for.”

“The mountains,” Katie says. 

“No, dear Kaitlin. Not those hills. For...candy!”

Katie knows he’s wrong, but she senses he really wants to impress her today. She lets out a faux gasp and rests a hand on her chest. “I had no idea! Really?”

“Really, my young protege,” the Commander confirms. “My class and I learned of Colorado and its candy exports, and got a field trip there. I was but a young Bat, and I was very eager to have a state export. We went to Colorado’s biggest candy factory and were given a tour. I saw a door, and I asked a worker what was behind it. He told me, ‘it’s our reject and misshapen candy, and the door must never be opened! As long as people love our candy, it will stay sealed.’” He pauses for EFFECT (and totally not to finish his cake slice). “At the end of our tour, we were given free samples. They were tastariffic! But, there was a surly child in our class named Gideon, and he HATED it. ‘I hate it!’ Gideon claimed, and he THREW his candy to the floor and STOMPED ON IT!” The Commander stomps on the floor for emphasis. 

Katie reacts by gasping, covering her mouth. “Oh my gosh, he sounds awful,” she says. And he does, regardless of whether or not he’s real.

“Oh, he was,” the Commander reaffirms. “Spoiled like expired milk. Gideon’s negativity caused the door to BREAK open! And the GREAT CAKE MONSTER OF COLORADO came out!” He waves his arms around and roars for effect. Katie pretends to be startled (and struggles to hide her amusement). “‘I WANT TO EAT CHILDREN! I’M TIRED OF BEING EATEN!’ The monster exclaimed, and he grabbed Gideon!”

“Oh no! What happened?” Katie asks. Despite the fact this story’s probably completely made up, it’s enjoyable and entertaining. Extra points for the Commander making it all up by the seat of his pants.

“My hero’s blood thrummed, and I knew I couldn’t let anyone get eaten. Especially some rotten fool like Gideon,” the Commander continues bravely. “I looked around, looking for a weapon or something to free Gideon and defeat the monster, when I saw-” his eyes fall on the broom in Katie’s hand and he grabs it, “-a metal pole! Like they use to stretch out some candies! I grabbed it, and I cut the cake monster until it was nothing but sad, broken pieces.” He fences with the broom like it's a sword and Katie covers her mouth with both hands to keep from laughing and make it look like she’s in shock of the young Commander’s actions. “After the monster was cut up, it lost its power. And we all eat it. I ate its brain, because it’s the most dangerous part.” He pats his stomach. “Luckily, my stomach acids dissolved it. And that’s the story of how I defeated the Great Cake Monster of Colorado!”

Katie claps enthusiastically. “Wow, that’s amazing, Commander! You saved everyone in the candy factory that day!”

“That’s what the candy factory owner said! She insisted on rewarding me, even though I tried to heroically refuse.”

“What did she give you?”

“A lifetime’s supply of candy for my heroics!”

“Oh that’s wonderful! Next time we’re in Colorado, we’ll have to stop by for a visit! I’m sure she’d be happy to see you! You did save her factory and everyone!”

The Commander’s grin drops off his face. “Oh, um, actually, we can’t.”

Katie frowns. “Why not?” (She knows why, but she wants to hear what kind of excuse he has.)

“B-because the factory burnt down. Years ago. The owner’s fine but she’s a carrot farmer now,” the Commander lies quickly.

“A carrot farmer? That’s quite a change from making candy.”

“Oh yes. All that candy was too much temptation for her. She changed careers.” 

“Is that cake?!” Crash’s voice interrupts and they look and see the others crowded around the doorway with wide grins and excited eyes. 

“Can we have some?!” EagleBones asks. 

“Sure, take a seat everyone,” Katie says, looking at the clock and deciding it won’t spoil their dinners. Seeing the Commander’s drooped expression, she quickly says “Commander, you get an EXTRA slice for your heroics!” 

“Heroics? What are you talking about?” Ricky asks as she cuts pieces of cake for them. 

“Oh, the Commander was just telling me a story and it was awesomely heroic,” Katie smiles, giving the Commander his slice first as he grins widely. 

"Hear hear!" Jimmy grins, and the rest of them echo him, to the joy of the Commander.


	2. Coraline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katie and Crash watch Coraline, and both are terrified. (Katie's not, but Crash wants to show her he's not.)

“It’s all done, Crash!” Katie smiles brightly, holding up her newest knitted creation. “One sweater knitted for one teddy bear!” 

Crash stares up at her with wide, shiny eyes as he gasps in excitement, carefully taking the sweater out of Katie’s hands and pulls it over his teddy bear’s head. The sweater fits the bear perfectly, not too tight and not too loose. 

“It’s like it was made for him!” Crash sighs happily, hugging his bear. He doesn’t see Katie’s playful eye roll. “Thank you, Katie!” 

“No problem at all, Crash,” Katie returns as she settles next to him on the floor. “Got your movie snack?” Crash holds up his gummy worms happily and she smiles. “Great! I’ll start the movie, then.” Pressing the play button on the remote, she lays on her stomach on pillows, accepting Crash’s offer of a blue raspberry-cherry gummy worm as the opening of Coraline plays. It’s her turn to pick the film, and she loves horror films. Admittedly she’s a little hesitant to show Crash this movie. 

When the Other Mother appears, Crash bites his lip to suppress a scream. She’s TERRIFYING. Nobody told him she’d be so scary! He grips Mr. Pork Chop in fear, and wonders if Katie’s just as scared as he is. Stealing a glance at her, she doesn’t seem to be, but he knows better. She’s really strong and is always taking care of everyone else before herself. She doesn’t express her fears easily, but Crash knows her well by now. “Hey Katie? Let’s h-hold hands, because if you get scared then you’ll know I’m here to protect you!” 

Katie looks up at him in surprise, then smiles. She knows how easily Crash is scared, but he always overcomes his fears to help others and save the day with the other ‘Bats. She knows that he doesn’t like admitting he’s afraid though, and it warms her greatly that he’s putting her above his fears. “Thank you, Crash, that’s really sweet of you.” She takes Crash’s hand, and he calms down as they turn back to the screen. 

Coraline is one of Katie’s favorite movies, but she knows Crash could always use a boost of confidence. So she ‘expresses’ fear at appropriate moments, squeezing his hand and gasping. 

‘Oh boy, Katie must be super afraid,’ Crash thinks when she jumps as Coraline is locked into a closet with ghost children. ‘Maybe I should stop the movie. No, I don’t wanna embarrass her for being scared! Oh boy, I’m scared! But I gotta protect Katie! I don’t want her to have a nightmare! And I don’t want her to see how scared I am!’ 

When the Other Mother reveals her true form, Katie screams and bolts upright, throwing herself into Crash and holding him tightly. He responds by hugging her to him. “It’s okay, Katie, I’ve got you,” he tells her, patting her head. “It’s okay to be scared!”

“It’s just terrifying to think that maybe there’s a monster out there like her!” Katie exclaims. (It’s not too far-fetched, with all of the monsters the Aquabats battle on a daily basis.) 

Crash suppresses a shudder but shakes his head. “Don’t worry! If anything like her showed their ugly face, then I’d protect you! I’d throw it in a well and I’d throw a refrigerator after it to CRUSH IT!” He remembers her last name and smiles sheepishly. “Not, crush you, you know.” 

Katie smiles softly at him and hugs him tighter. “Thank you, Crash. It’s good to know that I have someone to always protect me.” Crash grins at her and nods frantically, and they turn back to finish the film. After it’s over, it’s late and time to go to sleep, but Katie’s still clinging to Crash. He gets an idea. 

“Hey, um, Katie, if you’re afraid you’re going to have a nightmare, w-we can have a sleepover! Right here!” He gestures to the floor, and she pauses to consider. (She knows that he’s probably going to be the one with nightmares, and he’s too scared to sleep alone.)

“Sounds good,” she nods. “Let me go get my pillow and blanket.” 

“I’ll go get it for you!” He jumps up and all but runs to Katie’s shared room. She sleeps in the lab on a twin bed next to Jimmy's charging station, and she requested it because she didn't want Jimmy to charge up by himself (something the robot greatly appreciated). Crash is careful not to wake up the sleeping AquaBats. He grabs her pillow and blanket and rushes back to the TV room, where Katie waits. “Here you go! Here, lie down and let me tuck you in!” She giggles and does as he says, and he puts her pillow underneath her head and covers her with her blanket. His eyes land on his stuffed bear and he grabs him. “Here, Katie. He chases off my nightmares, and he’ll do the same for you!”

Katie lets out a soft gasp as she takes Crash's teddy and hugs the bear, touched at Crash’s actions. She knows how much his teddy means to him, and she’s a fellow stuffed animal lover. “Thank you.” Crash grins and snuggles in next to her. When he’s comfortable, she rests her head on his shoulder, and he wraps an arm around her shoulders. “No nightmares for me tonight,” she says as he yawns.

“Nope, not with me here!” He says. “Goodnight, Katie.”

“Goodnight, Crash. Sweet dreams.” He’s out like a light, and she smiles to herself. Despite him being scared a lot of the time, he always puts others ahead of his fears (even if it takes a while). He took care of Katie tonight because he thought she would be scared and because he didn’t want her to think less of him for his fear. Not that she ever would. It’s really sweet. Snuggling in close to him, she falls into a nightmare-less sleep.

In the morning, she makes Banana Bravery Pancakes for Crash.


	3. Grocery Shopping Means Lots of Food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimmy goes grocery shopping with Katie and realizes he doesn't know what to do.

“Thank you for coming grocery shopping with me, Jimmy,” Katie smiles at the robot as she grabs a grocery cart and begins wheeling it, her loafers clicking on the floor. “Usually Ricky and I do it, but he scheduled a laptop date with Quera today.” She pulls the paper grocery list out of the pocket of her dress. It’s navy blue with white polka dots and has a Peter Pan collar.

“Oh I assure you Katie, it’s no trouble in the least,” Jimmy assures. “It’s good to have some sense of ‘normal’.” Being an AquaBat definitely didn’t qualify as normal, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. “And it’s nice to have a breath of fresh air. Not that I require air, that is, just in the metaphorical sense of the phrase.” Katie nods as she reviews the list and holds in a sigh. You’d think that she’s buying for an elementary school with how much food they put on the list. Then again, it is the weekly grocery shop, so maybe it’s justified.

“Okay let’s go to the produce section,” Katie says. “We’ll start with Ricky’s part of the list.” Ricky has the easiest part of the list, she thinks. All he asks for is fruit, veggies and natural foods, which are all found in the first aisle. She wheels the cart to the first aisle and reviews the list quickly to remind herself of what Ricky wants/needs. “Jimmy, could you get a head of lettuce please?” 

“Of course.” Jimmy steps away from her and grabs the roundest, fullest head of lettuce he can find, and carefully wraps it in its proper receptacle. He places it carefully in the child seating area of the cart as Katie’s choosing apples, and sees the grocery list next to where he just put the lettuce. Picking it up, he sees how much food their family wants/needs. 

‘I know Ricky helps her, but Katie sure does a lot for us, especially since we eat a lot,’ Jimmy thinks. ‘Well, I just eat for the experience. Admittedly I don’t know a lot about grocery shopping. Hmm...I know! I’ll do it all, so Katie can have a bit of a break for once!’ He sees the apples in the cart and that Katie has moved onto oranges. He smiles and takes the cart, looking over the list. He’ll take care of everyone else since she does it all the time. He’s got it today. 

“Okay, I have the oranges-” Katie turns around with the bag in her hand, and sees Jimmy and the cart are gone. “Jimmy?” 

The Commander and Crash both request cereal, but Jimmy sees Katie’s notes. They can have one sugary cereal but that’s it. The good thing is that they both want the same one. Placing the cereal in the cart, he sees the Commander’s wish for chips, but Katie’s limiting him to two bags. Easy! 

Jimmy feels like he spends the least amount of time with Katie. She’s not just the band’s assistant, but their friend. Part of their family. She’s always listening to him and they talk about sciences! Plus she always makes sure he gets credit for his ideas and inventions. He feels a bit guilty for not telling her where he was going, but he wants to do something for her because she’s always the one taking care of them. He wants to do more for Katie outside of grocery shopping and he will, but right now this is all he can do. Jimmy smiles. Won’t she be impressed and proud of him?

He moves through the list and aisles quickly enough that he barely registers Katie calling for him throughout the story. He feels a bit bad, but he can’t stop now, he’s almost done! 

“Jimmy? Where are you?” Katie calls, looking around. 

“Oh, dear, did you lose your son?” An old lady with pink glasses and a beret asks. 

Katie blushes a bit. “Oh no, he’s not my son, he’s my friend,” she replies. “He just ran off.” 

The old lady’s smile turns sour. “Men,” she scoffs, “they do that. You’ll get used to it. The first time.” She walks off, muttering to herself and leaving Katie confused.

The very last thing on the list is the unofficial/official food of the Aquabats: PIZZA! The only problem is, there’s so many different brands and types to choose from! How does Katie (and Ricky too) do this?! It’s even more difficult when Jimmy realizes he doesn’t actually know what brand of pizza Katie usually buys. His science-robot mind overloads with every possibility. Just how does he choose?! He can’t fail the Aquabats! He can’t fail Katie. He comes to a decision.

A few minutes later, Jimmy waits in front of the store and Katie finally finds him, running up to him. “Jimmy! I was looking all over for you! Where were-” she’s cut off when she sees the cart. Or carts. One is full of the grocery list, the other is full of pizza. At least one of every different brand. “Wow. That’s a...lot of pizza, Jimmy.”

Jimmy beams at her. “I got everything on our list,” he says, gesturing to the first cart. “The type of pizza wasn’t specified, so I made the rounds. I rarely grocery shop with you, and looking at that list, it made me realize how much you do for us. I wanted to do something for you in return. I hope that everything is to your satisfaction.” His robotic eyes gleam at her, and the words of refusal to the pizzas fade on Katie’s tongue. She can’t bring herself to tell him, and he just wanted to please her, as well as showing off his capabilities. 

So she smiles instead. “Yes, I’m satisfied. Thank you, Jimmy, for being so helpful. Let’s check out now.” 

Even though it meant they went a bit over budget due to the pizzas, the other Aquabats are thrilled with the groceries that day, and ultimately Katie’s happy they’re happy. She allows Jimmy first brand pick for dinner the following night, and doesn’t mind when it takes him over 20 minutes to make a decision.


	4. Two Aquabats in the Gym, in the Gym

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katie convinces Ricky to go to the gym for once.

“I can’t believe I managed to talk you into going to the gym, Ricky,” Katie smiles as she and Ricky walk to the gym entrance. She’s wearing a loose, off-shoulder blue t-shirt over a white sports bra, black gym shorts and black sneakers, and her hair is tied into a ponytail to keep it off her neck. (Her hair is as black as the sky at night, Ricky thinks.) 

“Well, you’re right, it’s good to get out of the woods every now and then, and we live here, so jogging can be tedious,” Ricky agrees. There are sweat bands over his sleeves and a sweat headband over his anti-Negativity helmet.

“And I can hardly keep up with you even when you’re going slow,” Katie laughs as they enter the gym. 

“What do you wanna do first?” Ricky asks after they check in. Katie takes a slow look around until her eyes land on the weights.

“There,” she says, pointing to them, and Ricky nods enthusiastically and the two of them go over there. “Let’s do core strengthening! And arms, too!” She sits on an exercise ball and picks up two two-pounders and begins doing reps. Ricky debates whether or not he should do bench before deciding, yes, he should. He walks over and sits down to begin when he hears “Hey, your form’s off.” 

Looking up, he sees a bald shaven, impressively muscular black man who looks to be in his 30s, and he’s motioning to Katie on the ball. 

Katie stops and looks at the man curiously. “It is?” 

The man nods. “May I?” She nods and he reaches, positioning her arms correctly, making Ricky tilt his head and frown. “See, that’s easier isn’t it?” She pumps her arms like he showed her and nods.

“Oh, that’s better. Thank you,” she says, continuing her reps, but the man doesn’t walk away. He takes a seat next to Katie on another exercise ball.

“I’m Lyle,” the man introduces himself. “I’ve never seen you here before, what’s your name?”

“It’s Katie, hello Lyle,” Katie replies politely. “I rarely come here. I usually just jog, and my job’s plenty of exercise.” Ricky snickers at that. 

“What do you do?”

“I’m a personal assistant,” she replies, doing another set of reps. “To five people.” 

“Sounds tiring.”

Katie side glances Ricky and smiles. “It is, but it’s worth it,” she says honestly. “What do you do, Lyle?”

“Oh, me? I’m a personal trainer here at this gym,” Lyle answers. “I know everyone who comes through here, which is why I didn’t recognize you.” 

“We both have personal in our job titles,” Katie giggles at her own joke. 

“We do.” Lyle moves closer to Katie, deepening Ricky’s frown. “You know, Katie, we could get...personal.” He chuckles when he sees her blush and puts his arm around her. “How ‘bout we go work out somewhere else?” 

Katie blushes crimson and Ricky knows it’s time to step in. “Hey Katie!” He calls, gathering her attention. “Get a load of this!” He leaps off the weight bench, ready to leap into a handstand.

“Hey, buddy, can’t you see we’re busy?” Lyle snaps at him, stopping him. 

“He’s my friend,” Katie says, glaring at him and untangling herself from his arm as she gets up from the ball. “C’mon Ricky, let’s go use the exercise bikes instead. I’m done with weights.” She takes his hand and leads him away from Lyle to the exercise bikes and treadmills. “Don’t think too much of him, Ricky. He’s just a-a-a gym jerk!” Katie exclaims, making Ricky chuckle. “C’mon. Let’s do some leg exercises.” She lets go of his hand and sits on a bike, leaving him standing for a second. 

Ricky considers Katie a close friend. More than that, she’s family. He was very glad he had the brainstorm to hire her as an assistant (well, he brainstormed the assistant part, but not the Katie part, she came along later). She’s the only one of his family who actually likes being healthy, which is such an important thing to Ricky. Plus, she’s very sweet and caring and so pretty. Not that he has feelings for her or anything, but he does appreciate her beauty. And he likes to flirt with her. For the fun of it. The two are simply close friends, and there’s no romance between them. His heart is Quera’s. 

‘Man, that guy was a jerk,’ Ricky thinks as he watches Katie ride the bike. ‘I was just trying to show him my form too! And he made Katie uncomfortable! You don’t do that! Plus I wanted to show off to Katie, too...hmmm…’ He looks around and lays eyes on the treadmill and gets an idea. He gets on it and sets it to the highest setting. 

Katie hears the loud beeping of the treadmill and looks up, her eyes going wide. “Um, Ricky-” she begins, but he cuts her off. 

“Hey look Katie! I’m beating the treadmill!” Ricky grins proudly, using his superspeed. Her mouth drops slightly when she thinks she smells smoke. No, she does smell smoke and she knows she’s gotta act fast or they will be liable for setting a treadmill and possibly a gym. 

“Ricky! Stop!” Katie shouts, leaping off the bike, and Ricky is so startled he stops on the running treadmill and he falls. He rolls onto his back and to his feet, to the surprise of himself and Katie before she runs over and yanks the cord of the treadmill out of the electrical socket. She looks back up at Ricky, who still looks shocked he was able to roll to his feet. “Are you okay? That was...awesome!” She claps her hands in awe, because even though he nearly set the treadmill on fire beating its speed, landing on his feet was impressive. 

“Really?” Ricky asks in surprise. 

“Really! You landed on your feet! You should’ve fallen flat on your face!” 

Ricky pinks at her praise. “And I beat a treadmill!”

Katie grimaces but shakes it off before he can see it. ‘More like he almost burned down a treadmill,’ she thinks before saying “You did! You are the fastest man ever!” 

“Aw shucks,” he says with a deeper blush. 

“Now, I think that’s just enough gym time for today,” Katie says. “Let’s go get some lunch, okay? I’m feeling a healthy salad.”

“Hmm,” Ricky puts his fingers on his chin in mock-thought before grinning. “Nah, I’m feeling a cheeseburger. I think we’ve earned it after today!” Katie laughs and nods, putting her arm around his waist as he laces one around her shoulder. 

Lyle watches Katie and Ricky leave the gym, shaking his head as he gets on the treadmill that Ricky vacated. Noticing it’s unplugged, he plugs it back in and stands on it, setting it higher to up his endurance and break his record. As soon as he begins running, the treadmill bursts into flames, and he falls off in shock.


	5. Dancing in the Daylight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EagleBones, Katie, music! (Romantic tension?)

“I love this show,” Katie smiles. It’s a program of nothing but music videos. It’s a franchise and one of its sub-programs showcases 80s music. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” EagleBones agrees. It’s just the two of them in the BattleTram today. Everyone else is out at the new city park, feeding pigeons or playing frisbee or getting ice cream or all three. EagleBones declined because he wanted to practice a new couple of licks, and Katie stayed behind on EagleBones’ invitation to listen to them. (Unknown to her, EagleBones made up the excuse of ‘new’ licks to spend time with Katie.) EagleBones played his licks, and now the two of them are watching the music program while EagleBones strums his guitar absently.

Pat Benatar’s “Love Is A Battlefield” comes on and a wide grin spreads across Katie’s face. She adores this song, and loves to dance to it. Today, she’s wearing a white, sleeveless blouse, a red, knife-pleated midi-skirt and black kitten heels, plus a jingly bracelet. Perfect for dancing. 

“What are you doing, you goof?” EagleBones chuckles seeing her dancing to some Pat Benatar. 

“Dancing! I love this song!” Katie grins, clicking the heels in time with the beat on the hard floor. She spins, her skirt twirling around her like a hula-hoop, and snaps her fingers to the chorus as her dark brown hair (it’s dark brown like the bark of the majestic oak) spreads like a halo as she twirls. EagleBones stops strumming his guitar and focuses on watching her dance. She looks completely free and her movements are fluid, even graceful. 

EagleBones isn’t very good with his feelings. He knows he can be arrogant and overconfident, but he does love his friends-no, his family-dearly. He just wants to help as many people as he can, and be a true hero. 

He’s had feelings for Katie for a long time. Almost as long as she’s been their assistant-no, part of their family. She’s a wonderful person, everyone knows that, and she’s also so gorgeous, it nearly knocks him out. But her soul is what he likes, no, loves about her. She was always the one to bring up back down (if not one of the other ‘Bats). He’s really glad she’s part of the group. 

But he can’t help feeling jealous at this moment. She’s not dancing to his music, but to that of Pat Benatar. Sure, Pat’s a legend, but EagleBones is a musician too, and he makes people dance all the time! Right now, he wants to make Katie dance more than anything. 

“Woo, I love that song,” Katie grins, panting slightly. EagleBones reaches for the remote and mutes the tv. “What are you doing, EagleBones?” 

“I can make you dance too,” he says with a confident grin, and before she can say anything, launches into the riff of “Look At Me (I’m A Winner!)”. Katie grins at him. It’s one of her favorite songs of theirs! Her feet seemingly move themselves and she allows herself to be lost in the music. Outside of the recorder in fifth grade music class, she doesn’t know how to play music, but she knows many of the Aquabats’ songs by heart. It amazes her, their musical ability. It’s a wonderful thing.

Katie has feelings for EagleBones. He doesn’t know, of course. She doesn’t want to jeopardize her close friendship with him. He’s one of her best friends! (She’s best friends with them all, but EagleBones is like her best, best friend.) She’s crushed on him since he first joined the band! Sure, he’s capable of being really arrogant but he’s a good person and he wants to help others. The way he helps her and sticks with her-they have a connection, Katie feels, and she sometimes daydreams that they’re-

“Katie?” EagleBones calls her name and she stops, noticing the music stops. Blushing lightly, she shyly exchanges eye contact with him. (Shy contact?)

“That was wonderful,” she says quickly, “do you have any more?” He gives her a grin and starts playing ‘We Got This!’ Pumping herself up to this song, she kicks off her heels to dance in her bare feet. Limbs fly everywhere as she dances without a care beyond this moment. The song ends quicker than before, possibly due to the fact both of them are having such a good time. When the song ends, they’re both breathless-EagleBones from playing so hard, and Katie from dancing so hard. Breathing heavily, she goes to retrieve her kicked-off shoes, but slips on her own sweat and stumbles forward. 

EagleBones’ eyes widen as Katie falls in slow motion. Still, no matter how slow she may be falling, he’s gotta catch her! So he casts his guitar aside, stands up and Katie safely lands in his arms with an ‘oomph!’ They meet each other’s eyes and breathe softly. 

“Thank you for the music!” she says, almost whispering. “I had a lot of fun dancing to it.”

“Well, I, uh, had a lot of fun too! Playing it for you!” he says quickly before going quiet again. The moment is...a moment? Katie adores that EagleBones played music for her to dance to, but now she’s in his arms...and staring at him and she feels like she’s going to die from the awkwardness so she shuts her eyes. EagleBones shuts his eyes, too, and they unconsciously lean in. Their breaths tickle each other’s faces. 

“WE’RE BACK!” The Commander announces and the two break away from each other as the four Aquabats return. “Boy, you two missed something special! That park has the most delicious hotdog vendor!” The Commander’s (fake) mustache is smudged with mustard.

“I got doubles!” Crash claims, holding a half-eaten one in his hand. “You guys want it?” He holds it out to them.

“No thanks!” EagleBones and Katie say at the same time, backing away from each other. 

“I hope you didn’t spoil your dinners,” Katie adds. “It’s meatloaf night, you know.”

“Katie, one part about being an Aquabat, is you always have an appetite,” the Commander says. “Except for too many doughnuts.”

Ricky nods at his commander’s words, but he notices that Katie’s red, sweaty and breathing hard. EagleBones is red and breathing hard, too. “Are you two okay? Are you sick?” He goes up and presses his hand against their foreheads. “Katie, you’re a little warm.” 

Jimmy scans the two of them. “Katie, according to my internal thermometer, you’re two degrees warmer than normal! You’re almost feverish!”

“I-I’m fine! I was dancing, and EagleBones just played for me,” Katie explains honestly as EagleBones nods. The rest of the group eyes them both momentarily, but shrug it off.

“Alright, you crazy kids, just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” the Commander says, pulling them both in, arms around each of their shoulders.

“We won’t,” they say at the same time, glancing at each other and blushing harder. They all filter out of the room, but before Katie goes to her room, she looks back at EagleBones and smiles. “I’d love to do that again.” He smiles and nods as she leaves for her room before pumping his fist in victory.


	6. Sometimes a Family are The Aquabats and Their Assistant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Aquabats don't need to try and impress Katie when they do so every day.

“Okay, let’s see,” Katie mumbles to herself as she looks over today’s guide. The band has a show today in Sacramento, and right now she’s playing the role of tour manager. At 3pm there’s an autograph signing, followed by soundcheck at 5pm and the show at 7:30pm. Now before any of the scheduled events can take place, Katie needs to do the following.

Make sure Crash’s lucky socks are ready and filthy for him, he claims he can’t perform well without them. (Then what was that time they had a beach party and he was barefoot? Huh Crash?)   
Make sure EagleBones has enough picks for tonight. (He loves to throw them to the crowd, so he usually has at least six per show.)   
Make sure Jimmy’s charged to at least 65%.(Anything below can be dangerous since a show usually consumes about 30-40% of his energy. Remember that time when he completely lost power after a show? Crash got so upset, but at least he was able to grow and carry him back to the BattleTram that night!)  
Make sure Ricky’s drumsticks are in peak condition. (Last time he, Crash and the Commander used them as chopsticks, and it made a mess of his drums! Ramen sauce everywhere!)  
Make sure the Commander does his vocal warm-ups properly. (And no, it doesn’t count when he sings the ABCs.)   
Make sure the stage is set up and with no cords in the way so nobody trips. (Katie still remembers the expensive payment for when Crash crashed through the wall.)  
Set up the meet-and-greet line in a single, orderly fashion.   
Have an amazing show!

“Great! Let’s do this!” Katie smiles, tucking the paper away. It’s warm today, so she’s wearing the merchandise of her men: a blue tank top with Pablo or Lil Bat (she’s worked for them for a long time, and she still doesn’t know what his name is. Or what he is. Is he a man in a bat costume? A bat who swallowed a man and took over his skeleton? What is he?!) riding a big wave, black baggy shorts with their logo and themed pockets, and her own black converse. She’s not an official member but darn it she can rock the merch! (And she does! Ricky already called her a total babe! While EagleBones merely turned bright red!) Her hair is left loose, as usual. (She doesn’t know if her hair is black or dark brown. Some guy mistook her for having grey hair once!)

It’s almost time for the meet and greet, so Katie goes to find the Aquabats and gather them. She finds EagleBones first, and the sound of her footsteps draw his attention away from his guitar. They smile at each other. “Hey, Katie,” he says, strumming a couple of notes. 

“Hi, EagleBones,” Katie greets him, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, do you know where the rest of the guys are? The meet-and-greet is in fifteen minutes.”

“Yeah, Crash and Jimmy are on the ‘Tram, the Commander-” EagleBones is cut off by a loud noise and someone saying ‘oops’. Loudly.

“I think I know where the Commander is,” Katie giggles while EagleBones shakes his head playfully. “Can you go to the tent and wait for the rest of us there, please?” 

“I sure can,” EagleBones agrees, standing up, patting her shoulder and walking off. “See you there.” 

“Be there in a minute!” Katie calls after him, rushing in the direction of the crashing sound. There, she sees the Commander rubbing his arm at the base of a large tree in the middle of a bunch of wood. “Commander! Are you okay? What happened?” She runs over to him and crouches by his side.

“Oh, Katie,” he says, sounding surprised. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. I was just putting that bird’s nest in the tree.” He points to a nest, precariously perched on a perfect branch. (Alliteration!)

“Did you fall?” Offering her hands, he pulls himself up with her help and she dusts him off. 

“Yes, but I’m not hurt. The weirdest thing, somebody left a picnic table below me!” The Commander gestures to the ground and sure enough, Katie recognizes the pattern of a picnic table. “That wasn’t there when I climbed!”

“Well, I’m just glad you’re not hurt,” Katie smiles in relief, patting his upper arm. “The meet and greet is in a few minutes. Can you please go to the tent? EagleBones is there now.”

“You betcha, my protege!” Commander gives her a cheeky grin and a salute, which she returns with a grin of her own before walking in the direction of the BattleTram. Opening the door, she sees the driver’s/battling part empty, and walks into the living part of it. She’s got a good idea of where Jimmy is, and her idea’s confirmed correct when she finds the robot in his lab, eyes closed, charging up. 

Walking over where he’s sitting upright, she lightly taps on his anti-negativity helmet. “Jimmy, Jimmy, wake up, buddy,” she says softly as not to startle him, and he blinks his robotic blue eyes open. “Good afternoon. How much juice do you have?”

Jimmy checks his charge level and smiles widely at her. “I’m happy to report that my battery levels are at a full 100%,” he replies. 

“Awesome! You’ll have plenty of energy then,” Katie nods. “Hey, start heading over to the tent, please, the meet and greet is soon. Do you know where Crash is?”

“He’s charging too,” Jimmy chuckles. “He’s taking a nap.” 

“Uh oh, I need to wake him,” Katie says, a little hesitant to wake Crash. It’s not that it’s hard to, but it’s his reaction. He’s either whining like the child he is inside or he flails, and he’s got many pounds of weight and inches of height on Katie. He could throw her through the walls, not that he’d ever purposely hurt her. (First days on the job are always the toughest!) 

Luckily, Jimmy sees her expression and says “Do not worry, I will accompany you and wake up Crash with you.” Katie smiles at him appreciatively and they head to the bunks. Crash is curled up on his bed clutching Mr. Pork Chop tightly to his chest. 

Katie steps over and lightly shakes Crash’s shoulder. “Crash, Crash, buddy, time for you to get up,” she says in a gentle voice, “you have a meet and greet to go to.”

“Mmm, I want to drink that giant slushy,” Crash mutters in his sleep. 

“Crash, it’s almost time for your meet and greet. All of your fans are waiting to meet you!” At this, Crash’s eyes shoot open and he sits up right away.

“All my fans!” He cries, throwing the blanket off and laying Mr. Pork Chop on the bed carefully. “I’m coming! Don’t worry fans, I'm coming!” He runs out the door, Katie on his heels and Jimmy behind her. Crash opens the Tram’s door and the three come out. 

“Go to the tent,” Katie says. “Hey, do you know where Ricky is?” 

“He went for a jog a while ago,” Jimmy replies. “He was rather...short with us.”

“But he seemed really down,” Crash adds. “And he didn’t tell us where he’s going!” He sounds upset at that.

Katie reaches over to rest her hand on his shoulder and smiles reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Crash, I’ll find him and it’ll be okay.”

“I just hope he doesn’t hate any of us now,” Crash says dejectedly, and Jimmy nods. 

“I know he doesn’t,” Katie says firmly, giving the two of them brief yet meaningful hugs. “Go to the tent, and I’ll go find him. We’ll meet you there.” 

“Thanks Katie!” Crash exclaims, looking happy again, and he happily takes Jimmy’s offered hand and skips in the direction of the tent. 

“Now, let’s see...if I had super-speed and was short with my friends, and seemed really upset, where would I go?” Katie asks herself. Just then, she hears faint sounds coming from the direction of the other side of the BattleTram. As she gets closer, the sounds get louder, and they almost sound like...crying? Peeking around, she sees Ricky, hunched over, sitting with his back against the Tram and his fists against his eyes, and she hears sniffling. “Ricky?” She startles him, seeing as when he jumps up in surprise and looks at her with tears in his eyes. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” She goes over and takes a seat next to him.

Ricky looks at the ground sadly. “Quera broke up with me,” he confesses, and Katie gasps in shock and sympathy. Ricky loves Quera, and she seemed to love him too. Heck, she grew on Katie too. 

“Oh, Ricky, why?” She asks, rubbing his shoulder sympathetically. 

“She said our relationship is just too long distance for her,” he sniffs, wiping more tears away. “That it’s really tough to visit and even if I did, I’d probably get eaten alive by one or more of the underworld’s monsters, so, so she said we should just be friends!” He bursts into fresh tears. 

Katie’s heart aches for Ricky, knowing how much he cares for Quera, and how he confided in Katie once he could see a future with her (and her attached sisters). A house, marriage and children. (Children that are half Siren, half Aquabat. Super-fast, three headed children.) “Come here, Ricky,” she coos, and he falls into her arms and sobs as she rubs his back and tries to calm him down. She’s painfully aware of how the meet and greet is in seven minutes, but she’s not even sure if he’s in the emotional state to do a meet and greet. “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how you feel,” she says as she rubs his helmet. 

“I love her,” Ricky sobs into Katie’s tank top. 

“I know you did,” Katie says with a sigh of sympathy. “But, it’s okay. Or it will be.” Ricky lifts his head up, eyes wet with tears.

“Y-you think so?” he asks, and she nods.

“I know so,” she confirms, wiping some tears away with her fingers. “You’re an amazing person. You’re Ricky Fitness, health aficionado, drum master, and wonderful friend. Plus, Casanova’s got nothing on you.” 

“Really?” Ricky asks, beginning to smile.

“Really! I have never seen such smoothness! You are a naturally-born charmer without being smug or deceitful. You always respect women, which is the most attractive thing of all!” Katie exclaims. “I think they should really be calling it ‘Fitness’, instead of ‘Casanova’.” She pats his shoulder with a kind smile. “I know it’ll be hard to get over Quera, you really loved her, but trust me. There’s someone for everyone, Ricky. There’s a saying I once heard, every heartbreak is one step closer to happily ever after.”

Ricky’s tears are gone and he’s smiling widely now. “Thank you, Katie. I feel a lot better,” he admits, hugging her, which she happily returns. They break in surprise when her watch beeps out the time for the meet and greet.

“Oh no! The meet and greet is about to start!” Katie cries, looking at her watch.

“Have no fear, Ricky Fitness is here!” Ricky grins. “Here!” He scoops her up off the ground and before she knows it, they’re at the tent where the others are, seated next to each other on the table, with one empty seat for Ricky.

“Hey look, Ricky Fitness is here!” A young woman shouts, and the women in the crowd erupt into cheers and screams of joy as Ricky puts Katie back on her feet. 

“They’re all here now!” Katie yells, slightly dizzy from her ride with Ricky, but smiles brightly at the fans. “Now, please form a single file line, and no pushing or shoving please, we’re all Aquacadets here!” The crowd cheers at her words and follow her directions as she stands at the front of the line to help them all meet the heroes that are the Aquabats.

The fans are one of Katie’s favorite parts of her job. The pure love and affection they have for all of the Aquabats never gets boring. They’re of every age, race and size, but they all share the love of this silly band. It thrills Katie, like it thrills them all. To become a fan of the Aquabats means to become attached at the heart. It makes her happy seeing how much the band is devoted to and loves their fans too, and how they sign everything in front of them and make meaningful conversation, even if it’s just for a few minutes each. There’s about 200 people in line and 2 hours to meet them all, after all, but if anybody can, it’s the Aquabats. 

The meet and greet goes well and every fan is met. A couple of the fans even express excitement at meeting Katie. Her personal favorite fan of the day is a young boy dressed in his Aquabat costume that his mother handmade for him, and he presents Katie with a daisy he picked in a nearby field before the meet and greet.

“These are for you, miss assist lady,” he speaks with a lisp, holding the flower up to Katie. He has dark skin and his ear-length black hair pokes underneath his foam anti-negativity helmet. His dark green eyes gleam happily at Katie and her heart swells up with joy. “M-mommy says you do a lot for the Aki-bats. Thank you for doing that.” 

Katie can’t help the grin as she carefully takes the daisy from the little boy. “Thank you so much, what’s your name?” 

“My name’s Evan,” the little boy says. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Katie. Thank you so much for this beautiful flower, Evan.” 

“I picked it because it’s really pretty just like you,” Evan smiles shyly. Katie pinks at his compliment and opens her arms for a hug. He wraps his short little arms around her and they hug tenderly for a few moments before he takes his mother’s hand and skips away happily. Katie watches them leave, twirling the flower in her fingers before getting an idea. 

“Well, that’s the last fan!” The Commander announces, getting up with the rest of his band to stretch. 

“The last fan was for Katie! That’s so rad!” Crash cheers as Katie threads the daisy into her hair. 

“I’m glad they recognize how wonderful you are!” Jimmy smiles supportively when she’s finished threading the flower into her hair. He frowns when he sees this. “Katie, there is plant life in your hair.” 

“Oh yeah, that sweet little boy named Evan gave it to me,” Katie replies. “It was so kind of him.” She checks her watch, and it’s about time for soundcheck. “Okay, now we have to-” She’s cut off by a large roar in the distance behind the tent, and whips to the noise. “What’s that?” They all go in the direction of the sound, Crash staying in front of Katie to protect her at any time. 

The sound gets louder as they step in its direction. “It sounds like it’s coming from the parking lot,” EagleBones notes. 

“Yet I cannot tell what it is,” Jimmy says, fingertip to his temple, scanning. “It is unidentified in my database.” 

“So it’s nothing we’ve ever encountered before!” The Commander exclaims, sounding half-afraid, half-awed. “Aquabats, let’s go!”

“Stay behind me, Katie,” Crash says bravely, putting his arm in front of her, and she nods, slowing her steps down to stay behind him and also accepts his offered hand. The group of six takes slow, cautious steps, with the Commander leading them all. Katie’s in the back holding Crash’s hand, and she realizes how in awe of the Aquabats she is.

The roars grow almost deafening and the group presses themselves against the back of the bus. “What in the name of exercise makes that kind of noise?!” Ricky demands. 

“I don’t know, Ricky, but we need to take care of it,” the Commander orders, his finger in the air, “or our fans could be hurt!” The thought of the fans getting hurt is too much for any of them to bear. “Aquabats, let’s go!”

“Wait, Commander!” Katie cries from her place in Crash’s arms (he insists it’s better for him to protect her), stopping him, “shouldn’t you take a peek at this monster? You know, form a plan?”

“Hold on, Commander,” Jimmy rests a robotic hand against the Commander’s chest, stopping him from heading headfirst into danger. “Katie is correct. We need to see what we’re about to deal with.”

The Commander rolls his eyes but acqueises, “Fine, fine, Aquabats, let’s see what we’re dealing with. And form a plan.” The Aquabats and their loyal assistant take a peek around the corner, stacked on top of each other like an old Scooby-Doo cartoon (in the order from top to bottom: the Commander, Jimmy, EagleBones, Ricky, Crash, Katie), looking for the monster. 

Instead of a fearsome monster with many tentacles or with a wide, gaping maw ready to swallow innocent people and spaghetti restaurants, they see...a brown rabbit? It confuses everyone except for Crash, who coos at the bunny’s cuteness. 

“Where’s the monster?” Ricky asks curiously, looking around. 

“More like where did those growls come from?” EagleBones asks. “This is just a rabbit.” He motions to it with his hand as the Commander approaches the rabbit, crouching near it with a happy smile.

“Hi, my name’s Crash,” the singer introduces himself in a friendly fashion. “What’s your name?” As expected, the bunny doesn’t answer, which disappoints the Commander. “C’mon, I just wanna be friends!” He offers the rabbit his hand. The rabbit sniffs his fingers, then bites him without warning, causing him to scream loudly and drawing the attention of everyone else. “GET IT OFF!” He tries to get his hand out of the rabbit’s mouth, but the rabbit flings him to the side, throwing him against the bus. 

“Commander!” Katie rushes to the Commander’s side as the rabbit roars again and goes for the rest of the Aquabats. Ricky attempts to kick the monstrous rabbit, but it bites down on his foot and flings him over his head, making him land on the ground painfully. Jimmy aims his finger lasers at the creature, but it headbutts him in the torso, and he falls to the ground. 

“Everyone move!” EagleBones yells, genuflecting as he powers up his guitar and takes aim at the dastardly rabbit. A strong bolt of lightning emerges from the headstock of his guitar, narrowly missing the rabbit, but it does singe the beast’s little cotton tail. Looking at its tail, the rabbit bears its large teeth and lunges for EagleBones, aiming for his throat. 

“Look out!” Katie screams, pushing him out of the way and falling on top of them as the rabbit misses her very narrowly. The two fall to the ground, Katie on top of EagleBones, and she throws a glance behind her and sees the rabbit running past Crash. “Crash, why didn’t you stop it?!” EagleBones demands as Katie scrambles off him (much to the former’s disappointment). 

“He’s just too cute! It’s against my code to hurt cute things!” Crash cries in despair. The Commander and Katie run past him, keeping the rabbit in their sight. 

“It’s heading for the venue!” Katie screams. The venue is where the fans are! 

“What do we do?” Ricky asks in concern. The Commander suddenly gets an idea. 

“Okay! I have an idea!” He exclaims, index finger in the air. “It’s gonna take all of us. EagleBones, Jimmy, Crash and I will follow and distract the rabbit. Ricky, I need you to go into the kitchen and get your carrots and the biggest container you can hold, then come to me, Jimmy, EagleBones and Crash. Katie, go to the venue and protect the fans. Got it?” 

“Yes!” The Aquabats all exclaim, then break off to their orders. Ricky runs into the BattleTram, Katie runs into the venue, and EagleBones, Jimmy, Crash and the Commander run in the rabbit’s direction.

“Hey rabbit!” the Commander calls, gathering the rabbit’s attention as she breaks away from Jimmy and EagleBones. “Over here!” He waves his arms and it starts to hop toward him menacingly. 

“Oh no you don’t!” EagleBones glares, aiming his guitar at the rabbit. 

“EagleBones, wait!” Jimmy puts his hand in front of his friend. “You can’t! With your trajectory, you risk hitting the Commander!” EagleBones grits his teeth realizing his friend is right. “Here, let me try!” The robot aims his index finger and shoots a small missile at the rabbit, but at the last second it dodges the missile and lands dangerously near the Commander, making him jump and squeak. 

“Dude! You almost hit the Commander!” EagleBones scolds severely, though out of concern for Commander (and his slightly bruised ego, after Jimmy did exactly what he told EagleBones not to) than anger at their robot friend.

“I, I had a perfect aim,” Jimmy says, dumbfounded. “It just hopped out of the way at the very last moment!” He feels terrible for almost hitting Commander. He’s a loving, caring protector of mankind! Crash, despite the situation, pats the robot on the shoulder sympathetically.

“It’s okay, you didn’t mean it,” the bass player says sympathetically.

“Hey guys! I’m back!” Ricky announces, holding his carrots and a large metal pot.

“Great! Ricky, throw me a carrot!” the Commander calls. Ricky tosses him a particularly ripe one and he crouches down. “Here, bunny-bunny,” he coos at the violent creature. “Get the carrot. You know you want it.” The violent bunny sniffs at the air, getting a whiff of the carrot, and hops closer to him. 

“Commander, that thing is dangerous! What are you doing?” EagleBones cries, unable to stand the thought of any of his friends being hurt.

“It’s okay, EagleBones,” Commander assures him without taking his eyes off the murder-bunny as it cautiously comes near enough to the tip of the carrot. It opens its mouth, exposing its long, sharp teeth that doesn’t look at all like normal rabbit teeth. “Listen. Ricky, EagleBones, take that pot and hold it between yourselves. Jimmy and Crash, come to my sides and help me corner this bunny. When I say ‘now’, trap it!” The Aquabats nod and follow his directions. The bunny doesn’t notice, chewing at its carrot happily. “NOW!” 

Within the blink of an eye, the drummer and guitarist slam the metal chili pot on top of the rabbit, effectively trapping it as the Commander, Jimmy and Crash back away quickly. Inside the metal pot, there’s loud scratching and screeching. It thrashes around, making Ricky and EagleBones struggle to keep the pot down. Crash rushes forward and relieves them, pressing and settling the pot. It now doesn’t budge, much to the rabbit’s clear fury.

“That rabbit IS NOT happy,” the Commander quips. 

“Where did it come from?” Ricky asks. “That’s not a normal rabbit. Did you see its teeth?”

“It’s like a shark and rabbit had a killer baby,” the Commander nods. “A shabit.” 

“A rark?” Jimmy suggests, but his band shake their heads.

“I like shabit better,” EagleBones says.

“It sounds better,” Ricky agrees. 

Crash giggles at his band, but the rabbit begins slamming at the pot. It nearly knocks Crash off the top, but he holds firm just as he hears a very weird sound...like crunching metal. Everyone else hears it too.

“Um, Crash, buddy? Are you eating something you’re not supposed to?” the Commander asks, simultaneously awkward and gentle.

“It’s not me, Commander!” Crash cries honestly. Suddenly the pot disappears and Crash falls flat to the ground, right next to the killer-rabbit, whose mouth is full of metal. The band screams in terror as the rabbit increases in size before their eyes, now to the size of the large metal chili pot. It roars loudly in Crash’s face before running off faster than before.

“It got bigger!” EagleBones yells in shock.

“It ate the chili pot my mother gave us!” Jimmy cries. 

“It’s getting away! Aquabats, follow it!” The Commander orders and the five go after it. 

“Oh no! It’s going to the venue!” Ricky notes in horror. 

*

It’s been way too long for Katie’s liking since she’s seen the Aquabats. (It’s only been a few minutes, Katie! But still too long!) She’s herded all the fans into the venue, but she decides to go look for the Aquabats. Quietly slipping out of the noisy venue where the fans are thankfully blissfully aware of what’s going on outside, she closes the door firmly behind her before she hears a terrible screeching noise. Whipping around, she sees the rabbit from before, only this time, it’s a lot bigger! And she sees its mouth of full, sharp teeth and its red eyes trained on her! It’s running toward her!

Screaming, Katie thinks of the fans inside the venue. ‘I need to lure it away!’ She thinks as she takes off running, mostly to protect the fans (but also because she’s terrified). Throwing a glance behind her shoulder, she sees the bunny on her heels and runs as fast as she can, unsure of where she’s going, but having a small hope of outrunning it enough so it won’t attack her, the Aquabats or the fans.

A rock is in Katie’s path, which she doesn’t see due looking back for her rabbit pursuer, and her foot catches on it, causing her to trip and fall to the ground. Her knee and elbow are badly skinned but she pays it little mind. The rabbit is a few feet in front of her, snarling at her. Its eyes glow crimson as it slowly advances on her. Its long tongue pops out of its mouth and licks its lips and she realizes it’s going to eat her. 

“Stop right there!” A voice calls, and both Katie and the rabbit look in its direction. A woman of about 50 years old with olive skin, dark hair, hazel eyes and a white lab coat over a blouse and pants stands there, her eyes trained on the rabbit. “Horace, you are a disgrace! You have caused so much trouble!” The rabbit bares its teeth, lunging for the woman.

“Ma’am, look out!” Katie calls, scrambling to get to her feet, but the woman pulls a tiny, silver box out of her pocket and presses the red button on it. When the rabbit is only a couple of feet from her, it explodes into streamers, much to Katie’s shock and confusion as the explosion causes her to fall onto her backside. 

“Katie!” The Aquabats shout, running up to her, and all of them help her to her feet.

“Guys! Are you okay? I was so worried! I was coming to find you!” Katie exclaims in relief. 

“We had some trouble with Horace over there,” the Commander says with a smile, pointing at the streamers. “But this lady came up to us, explaining she lost her killer bunny.” 

“Ahem,” the woman comes up to the group. “My name is Dr. Party. I run a party company and this ‘killer rabbit’ is the latest in a line of party entertainment that I invented. Unfortunately, it had way too many bugs, and it had to be destroyed.” She looks regretfully upon her invention.

“So you’re telling us that this killer rabbit is just entertainment?” Ricky asks in confusion.

“Like a clown?” Crash asks excitedly. 

Dr. Party chuckles. “Yes, yes young men,” she replies. “It’s entertainment. You feed it, it grows bigger, and it explodes into the item you fed it.”

“But it ate my mother’s chili pot,” Jimmy says. “What exactly are you meant to feed it, doctor?”

“Oh, party items! Like cake and punch, but you need to feed the Party Rabbit 6000 in a controlled area for minimal mess,” Dr. Party explains. “This is the newest model, the Party Rabbit 7000. Apparently it still has some kinks I need to figure out.” She looks at the group. “I’m terribly sorry for all the trouble that was caused. Is there anything I can do?” 

The group pauses to think about it before sharing a smile. “Give us some help with our concert tonight?” the Commander asks with a mischievous smile. 

Dr. Party gives an equally mischievous smile of her own. “Oh, I like the look on your face. What kind of help?” 

“Well, you run a party company, right?” The Commander and Dr. Party walk off to the venue to talk about the concert. Crash and Ricky share an excited grin then run after them. 

EagleBones is about to go after them when he notices Katie’s elbow and knee. “Katie, you’re hurt!” The guitarist exclaims, examining her. 

“Oh, EagleBones, I’m fine, I just fell down-” Katie tries, but Jimmy scans her.

“EagleBones is correct, you are hurt and every second left untreated increases the risk of infection and further damage, pain and longer recovery times,” the robot says, scooping their assistant off her feet. 

“Hey! Jimmy, I’m fine, I promise,” Katie protests, kicking a bit as Jimmy carries her to the BattleTram, EagleBones walking behind them. “C’mon! I wanna hear what kind of plan the Commander and Dr. Party have for the concert!” She wants to put in her own suggestion like Ricky and Crash are undoubtedly doing right now.

“We’ll have plenty of time to do that after we treat your wounds,” Jimmy says cheerfully as Katie sighs, making EagleBones snicker. 

“What if I jumped out of your arms right now and ran?” Katie wouldn’t do that but she really wants to suggest something for the show. 

“I’d catch you and throw you over my shoulder, like a misbehaved child!” Jimmy says with equal cheer and EagleBones laughs harder.

“I’m not going to do it, Jimmy,” Katie says, sulking a bit. EagleBones recognizes the sourness of her tone and runs to Jimmy’s side, patting her arm.

“Don’t worry, Katie, it won’t take long at all,” the robot assures her. 

“And afterwards we can go to Dr. Party and make our plan!” EagleBones puts in, making her smile. 

“Okay,” she smiles. “Jimmy? You do know you don’t have to carry me, right? I can walk.”

“You could possibly injure yourself further. Please allow me to do this until you are treated.” 

“I don’t mind,” Katie’s smile widens. She glances at EagleBones. “Hey, EagleBones, you don’t have to come with. I mean, I’m happy you’re here, but wouldn’t you rather be putting in an idea for tonight’s show instead?”

EagleBones gives her a sincere smile. As kind as he is, he shows his sincerity rarely, which makes her pay attention. “I’d rather spend time with you,” he says honestly. It makes both of them blush and look away from each other, but with smiles on their faces.

Jimmy can’t help smiling too. He’s fully aware that both EagleBones and Katie harbor feelings of the romantic sort for one another. (I mean, he is a robot, he can sense this stuff!) They’re both just too shy to say anything. Yet. (And their secret is safe with Jimmy. The Commander and Crash are oblivious, while the idea of EagleBones being romantically interested in someone is a foreign concept to Ricky.) The robot is confident that one day the two of them will be together romantically. It will just take time.

That night, the show has a fog machine with colored fog, a dancing clown, streamers, glitter, lasers, and everyone goes home with a balloon animal. (That last one was Katie’s suggestion!)

*

Later that night, the Aquabats and Katie are crowded around the table in the main room/kitchen/living room, eating fast food. It’s rare but every now and again, Katie will let them have it. After today, they earned it.

Taking a sip and biting the straw of her vanilla milkshake, Katie looks around the table at each of the Aquabats. The Commander is eating his double cheeseburger, and with each bite comes a hearty moan. Crash is eating his fifty-piece nuggets two at a time happily. Ricky dips his apple slices in caramel and sighs in content when the taste hits his tongue. EagleBones sips from his large cola and laughs at Jimmy dipping fries in different condiments. (To the group’s surprise, they taste surprisingly okay when dipped in the extra caramel sauce.) 

Today was a typical day for the Aquabats. Meet fans, have a show, fight crime, any order and it’s a typical Aquabats day. Katie was absent for the main fight with the Party Rabbit 7000 but she understands that it was a good plan. They saved the day and gave their fans an amazing show that was preceded by a wonderful meet and greet. (The flower from Evan is still in Katie’s hair, held by her ponytail holder.)

They do this almost everyday, and it’s the best, most impressive thing to Katie. A lot of people would give up if they had to juggle all this, but not them. They would never even dream of doing that. The world needs them, and their fans need them. Katie needs them. She’s so proud of them and is so happy to be their assistant.

“Katie?” Jimmy taps her shoulder and she looks at him, realizing they’re all looking at her. “We just asked you what you think of ranch on fries.” 

“I love you all, so much,” she blurts instead, and everyone’s eyes go wide. ‘Oh no, did I just make a complete fool of myself?’

“AWWW!” Crash shouts, getting up from his chair and running over to where Katie’s sitting. “WE LOVE YOU TOO, KATIE, DOUBLY MORE THAN THAT!” He hugs her tightly and lifts her out of her seat. She’s so happy, she doesn’t even care the breath is being squeezed out of her lungs.

“He’s right, Katie,” Jimmy agrees with a nod. “According to science, our affection levels for you are off the charts!” 

“GROUP HUG!” The Commander declares, and all six of them indulge in a group hug.

“Just be careful, guys, I need you,” Katie gasps out from Crash’s hug. 

“Don’t worry, we will!” Ricky assures her, hugging EagleBones’ back.

“Now you understand why we’re so protective of you!” the Commander cries out happily, squeezing all of them.

EagleBones is glad nobody can see his blush. He’s thrilled Katie loves them, and for now her declaration of love for them all is enough right now, and he refuses to let his insecurities get the best of this amazing day/night. Hopefully, one day…

*

Katie is the very last to go to bed that night. She makes the rounds, making sure everyone is tucked in and comfy. The bunk room is full of four sleeping Aquabats, and she adjusts their blankets and gives the four each a kiss on his anti-negativity helmet. (EagleBones probably would have exploded if he was awake for that.) She goes into the lab, tiptoes to the charging Jimmy and gives him a kiss on his anti-negativity helmet too, after which she tucks herself into bed. She’s very happy and content with her life, and is so glad she was hired to be the Assistant Aquabat. 

There’s just one question. Who’s this deep voice who keeps saying stuff?

(Tune in next time, Katie!)

Katie startles awake, but falls asleep before she can wonder any longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Katie's character and to paraphrase/butcher a quote by Alex Hirsch I do the things I like to amuse myself!


End file.
